Media holding package

ABSTRACT

A boxed disc package has a box with a base and a foldable rigid creased board having multiple parallel creases. Mounting board-receiving panels and spines are formed and separated by the creases. Plural tray-holding boards are mounted on the board-receiving panels. Plural disc-holding trays are mounted on the plural tray-holding boards. One of the board-receiving panels of the foldable right creased board is secured in the box base. The remaining board-receiving panels with the attached tray-holding boards, trays and discs are folded around the spines for overlying each other and folding into the box base.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to media holding packages.

[0002] Several media holding packages are known in the art. Some of thepackages are suitable for holding multiple recording products. Many ofthe packages are functional in nature. Needs exist for improved packageswhich are useful for storing multiple media or recordings and which areattractive and suitable for presentation without further wrapping orembellishment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] A new media-holding box is provided by the present invention. Thenew package is suitable for holding and storing media and isparticularly attractive. The new package is created to attract theattention of prospective purchasers. The new boxes are particularlysuited for presentations or for giving as gifts. The new disc boxes holdany number of discs. The boxes may be assembled before discs areinserted. Discs may be inserted in trays, which are attached to rigidboards to complete the disc-holding boxes. Lengthening or shortening therigid creased board, changing lengths of spines and changing depth ofthe box base accommodates any number of discs.

[0004] In one form of the invention rigid creased boards are made ofchips or fibers. The boards are creased to create alternatingtray-holding panels and spines. The back surfaces of the boards arecovered with a decorative coating—for example a silver Mylar film. Atleast the back of the panel most distant from the box base isdecoratively coated to provide an attractive package. Graphics may beprinted on labels or directly screened or printed on outer surfaces ofthe packages.

[0005] The present invention is well suited to the manufacture of thebox base and board parts and the gluing and attachment of the box baseand board parts before final assembly of the trays. The trays are loadedwith discs before the loaded trays are attached to the boards.Alternatively, the empty trays are attached to the boards before thediscs are mounted in the trays. Before mounting trays on the boards,glue is placed in four recesses near corners of bottoms of the trays.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment one disc-mounting panel is glued to aninner bottom of the box. The longer first spine immediately adjacent tothe fixed panel is glued to a sidewall of the box. The opposite sidewallhas a recess adjacent its edge. The base box tightly holds the secondspine and the folded panels. A thumb of the user placed in the recessenables the user to contact the second spine and to tip the panels outof the box base. The tray on the panel, which is secured to the boxbase, is first exposed. Rotating the outer folded panel around thesecond spine, which is remote from the box base, provides access to theother trays.

[0007] In one embodiment a boxed disc package includes a box base. Afoldable rigid board has multiple parallel hinge creases. The creasesseparate the board into alternating tray-receiving panels andintermediate spines. Tray-holding boards are mounted on the panels.Disc-holding trays are mounted on the tray-holding boards. The back ofone panel of the foldable rigid creased board is secured in a bottom ofthe box base. The remaining board receiving panels with the attachedtray-holding boards and trays are folded successively around the spinesfor overlying each other and tipping into the box base, thereby formingthe boxed disc package.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the opened disc box apparatus.

[0009]FIG. 2 is a top of view of the closed disc box apparatus.

[0010]FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the disc box apparatus.

[0011]FIG. 4 is an assembled view of the disc box apparatus shown inFIG. 3.

[0012]FIG. 5 is a side elevation, partially in cross section, of theassembled disc box apparatus shown in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Referring to FIGS. 1-5, a disc box for a boxed set of discs isgenerally indicated by the numeral 1. The disc box has a box base 3. Thethree dimensional open top cardboard box base is covered with adecorative sheet in a manner that is well known in the gift box art.Creases 7 divide a foldable rigid creased board 5 into multiple hingedareas 9. The multiple hinged areas 9 include disc tray-receiving panels11,13 and 15 and separating spines 17 and 19. The back of the end panel11 is secured to the inner bottom of the box base 3. Preferably the backof the foldable rigid creased board 5 is covered with decorativematerial, such as a thin lamination of silver Mylar.

[0014] Disc trays 21,23 and 25 are mounted on individual tray-holdingboards 27, 29 and 31. The tray-holding boards are glued to the panels11, 13 and 15 of the rigid creased board 5. Preferably the tray-holdingboards are covered with a decorative material, such as a thin laminationof silver Mylar, which is visible through the clear trays. The disctrays 21,23 and 25 have central disc-receiving depressions 33 withfinger openings 35. Central rosettes 37 have depressible central buttons39 to release the discs, which are held in the trays. Four gluereceivers 41 are positioned at corners of each tray to hold glue. Theglue secures the trays on the decorative Mylar layers on thetray-holding boards.

[0015] After discs are attached to the trays 21, 23 and 25, the outerpanels 15 is folded on the middle panel 13. The two folded-togetherpanels are tipped into the box base 3, forming a package 1, as shown inFIG. 2.

[0016]FIG. 3 shows the parts of the package 1 before it is assembled.The disc trays 21, 23 and 25 may be mounted on the individualtray-holding boards 27, 29 and 31. The tray-holding boards are securedto the appropriate panels 11, 13 and 15 of the rigid creased board 5.The back of panel 11 is glued to the inner bottom 43 of the box base 3.The box base 3 is initially prepared by forming a chipboard, fiberboardor cardboard box. The box is coated with a decorative covering, such asa white opaque sheet material 45, in a well-known box manufacturingmethod.

[0017] The rigid creased board 5 is coated on its back 47 with adecorative sheet such as a reflective silver Mylar film 49. Theindividual tray-holding boards 27, 29 and 31 are initially coated ontheir tray-holding sides 51 with a decorative sheet called such as areflective silver Mylar film 52. The individual trays 21, 23 and 25 maybe glued onto the tray-holding boards before the boards are glued to thepanels of the rigid creased board. Preferably, the tray-holding boardsare glued to the panels of the rigid creased board before the trays aremounted on the tray-holding boards.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4, the entire disc box apparatus is assembledbefore discs are placed in the trays. Alternatively the discs may beplaced in the trays before the back of panel 11 is glued to the innerbottom of the box. As a further alternative the discs may be mounted inthe trays before the trays are glued to the tray-holding boards.

[0019]FIG. 5 shows a partially cross sectional view of the disc box 1.Panel 11 is glued in the bottom 43 of the base box 3. Preferably thelonger spine 17 lies along and is glued to the inner sidewall 53 of thebox. First, the tray 25 attached to the outer panel 15 is folded 61 overspine 19. The tray 25 attached to the outer panel then overlies the tray23 attached to the middle panel 13. The folded-together outer and middletrays are folded 63 along the crease at the top of spine 17 into the boxbase 3. The package 1 is completed with a label or screened or printedgraphic on the outward facing back of panel 15 or on the outside of thebase box 3.

[0020] The disc box package may be constructed with trays for holdingfewer or more than three discs. For example, the panel 15 and tray 25may be omitted, and the length of the spine 17 may be reduced toaccommodate a thickness of only two mounted trays. At the same time theside walls of the box may be reduced to accommodate only the two trays.Alternatively the spine 17 and the box sidewalls may be reduced toaccommodate the thickness of only one tray-holding board and two layersof the rigid creased board.

[0021] As a further alternative, gluing one panel to the bottom 43 ofthe disc box base 3 may be eliminated. In that embodiment only the widerspine 17 is glued to the inner sidewall 53 of the box base 3.Conversely, when the back of the inner panel 11 is glued to the bottom43 of the box base, gluing the outside of the spine 17 to the sidewall53 of the box base may be omitted.

[0022] In preferred embodiments, the creases 7 are formed in the uppersurface of the board 5, except for the crease 55 between spine 17 andpanel 13. Crease 55 is formed on both sides of board 5, so that thehinge formed along that crease can bend 180

(90

in both opposite directions). The remainder of the creases 7 aresingle-sided so that the board 5 folds through 90

and opens and extends away from the box 3 in a flat configuration.

[0023] Several trays and discs may be accommodated by the new package byincreasing the lengths of the spines and by increasing the numbers ofpanels on which the tray-holding boards and trays are mounted.

1. A boxed disc package apparatus, comprising a box base, a foldablerigid creased board having multiple parallel creases and havingboard-receiving panels and spines separated by the creases, pluraltray-holding boards mounted on the board-receiving panels, pluraldisc-holding trays-mounted on the plural tray-holding boards, one of theboard-receiving panels of the foldable rigid creased board being securedin a bottom of the box base, whereby remaining board-receiving panelswith the attached tray-holding boards and trays are foldable around thespines for overlying each other and folding into the box base, therebyforming the boxed disc package apparatus.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the board-receiving panels with the attached tray-holding boardsand trays are foldable around the creases, perpendicular to the spinesfor overlying each other and folding the panels, spines, boards andtrays into the box base, thereby forming the boxed disc packageapparatus.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spines arepositioned along opposite side walls of the box.
 4. The apparatus ofclaim 3, wherein an uppermost panel has one of the boards mounted on aninward facing side.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein one of thepanels on the board has outer and inner faces, wherein one of the boardsis mounted on the inner face, and wherein, when the panels, boards andtrays are folded around the spines and into the box, the outer faceforms a cover.
 6. A boxed disc package apparatus, comprising a box base,a foldable rigid creased board having multiple parallel creases andhaving board-receiving panels and spines separated by the creases,plural tray-holding boards mounted on the board-receiving panels, pluraldisc-holding trays mounted on the plural tray-holding boards, one of theboard-receiving panels of the foldable rigid creased board being placedin a bottom of the box base, whereby remaining board-receiving panelswith the attached tray-holding boards and trays are foldable around thecreases, perpendicular to the spines for overlying each other andfolding the panels, spines, boards and trays into the box base, therebyforming the boxed disc package apparatus.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6,wherein the spines are positioned along opposite side walls of the box.8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein an uppermost panel has one of theboards mounted on an inward facing side.
 9. The apparatus of claim 6,wherein one of the panels on the board has outer and inner faces,wherein one of the boards is mounted on the inner face, and wherein,when the panels, boards and trays are folded around the spines and intothe box, the outer face forms a cover.
 10. Disc package apparatus,comprising a box, a foldable creased board having multiple parallelcreases and having alternating disc-holding panels and spines separatedby the creases, disc-holding trays mounted on the panels, one of thespines of the foldable creased board being mounted along a side of thebox, whereby the panels with the attached trays are foldable around thespines for overlying each other- and folding into the box, therebyforming the disc package apparatus.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10,wherein the board has a first end panel and an opposite second endpanel, and at least one intermediate panel and a first end spineconnecting the first end panel to the at least one intermediate panel,and a second end spine connecting the second end panel to the at leastone intermediate panel, wherein the first panel is positioned along abottom of the box and the first end spine is positioned along one sideof the box.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first end spineextends from the bottom of the box to a top of the box.
 13. Theapparatus of claim 11, wherein the first end spine comprises the side ofthe box.
 14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second end spine isof sufficient length for allowing juxtaposition of trays mounted on thesecond end panel and the at least one intermediate panel, and whereinthe first end spine is of sufficient length for allowing stacking of thetrays within the box with an outer side of the at least one intermediatepanel forming a top of the box.
 15. A method of packaging multiple discsand trays in a box, comprising: forming a box having a bottom and sidesextending upward from the bottom; creasing a board and formingalternating tray-receiving panels and spines between creases on theboard; attaching disc-mounting trays on the panels; mounting a first endpanel inside the bottom of the box; mounting a first end spine along oneside of the box; extending an intermediate panel from the first endspine; extending a second end spine from the intermediate panel;extending a second end panel from the second end spine; placing discs inthe trays; folding the second end panel and the attached tray and discover the intermediate panel and the attached tray and disc; and foldingthe second end panel and the intermediate panel into the box over thefirst panel and the attached tray and disc.
 16. The method of claim 15,further comprising forming a top of the box with a back of theintermediate panel.
 17. The method of claim 15, further comprisingsecuring a back of the first panel inside the bottom of the box.
 18. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising securing an outside of the firstspine inside a first side of the box.
 19. The method of claim 18,further comprising placing the second end spine inside a side of the boxopposite the first side.
 20. The method of claim 18, further comprisingforming a first side of the box with the first spine.
 21. A boxed discpackage apparatus, comprising a box, a foldable carrier having multipleparallel sections and having alternating tray-holding panels and spinesforming the sections, plural disc-holding trays mounted on the pluraltray-holding panels, one section of the foldable carrier being securedto the box base, wherein the tray-holding panels with the mounted traysare foldable around the spines for overlying each other and for foldingthe panels and the trays into the box base, thereby forming the boxeddisc package apparatus.
 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the onesection of the tray-holding panels comprises an inner one of the spineswhich is attached to a side of the box base, wherein the tray-holdingpanels and trays are foldable around the creases and the spines foroverlying each other and for folding the panels, boards and trays intothe box base, thereby forming the boxed disc package apparatus.
 23. Theapparatus of claim 21, wherein the spines are positioned along oppositeside walls of the box.
 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the panelscomprise a first panel mounted in the box base and a medial panel hingednear a side of the box base, wherein the medial panel has one of thetrays mounted on an inward facing surface, wherein an outward facingsurface of the medial panel forms a cover for the box base when thepanels and trays are folded into the box base.
 25. The apparatus ofclaim 23, wherein one of the panels on the board has outer and innerfaces, wherein one of the trays is mounted on the inner face, andwherein, when the panels and trays are folded around the spines and intothe box, the outer face forms a cover.
 26. A boxed disc packageapparatus, comprising a box base, a foldable creased carrier havingmultiple parallel creases and having alternating tray-holding panels andspines separated by the creases, plural disc-holding trays mounted onthe panels, one of the board-receiving panels of the foldable creasedcarrier being hinged to a side of the box base, whereby remainingtray-holding panels with the mounted trays are foldable around thecreases and spines for overlying each other and folding the panels,spines, boards and trays into the box base, thereby forming the boxeddisc package apparatus.
 27. The apparatus of claim 26, whereinalternating spines are positioned along opposite side walls of the box.28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein an uppermost panel has one of thetrays mounted on an inward facing surface.
 29. The apparatus of claim26, wherein one of the panels has outer and inner surfaces, wherein oneof the trays is mounted on the inner surface, and wherein, when thepanels and trays are folded around the spines and into the box, theouter surface forms a cover.
 30. Disc package apparatus, comprising abox, a foldable creased carrier board having multiple parallel creasesand having alternating disc-holding panels and spines separated by thecreases, disc-holding trays mounted on the panels, an innermost one ofthe spines of the foldable creased carrier board being mounted along aside of the box, whereby the panels with the attached trays are foldablearound the spines for overlying each other and folding into the box,thereby forming the disc package apparatus.
 31. The apparatus of claim30, wherein the creased carrier board has a first end panel and anopposite second end panel, and at least one intermediate panel and afirst end spine connecting the first end panel to the at least oneintermediate panel, and a second end spine connecting the second endpanel to the at least one intermediate panel, wherein the first panel ispositioned along a bottom of the box and the first end spine ispositioned along one side of the box.
 32. The apparatus of claim 31,wherein the first end spine extends from the bottom of the box to a topof the box.
 33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the first end spinecomprises the side of the box.
 34. The apparatus of claim 31, whereinthe second end spine is of sufficient length for allowing juxtapositionof trays mounted on the second end panel and the at least oneintermediate panel, and wherein the first end spine is of sufficientlength for allowing stacking of the trays within the box with an outerside of the at least one intermediate panel forming a top of the box.35. A method of packaging multiple discs and trays in a box, comprising:forming a box having a bottom and sides extending upward from thebottom; creasing a board and forming alternating tray-receiving panelsand spines between creases on the board; extending an adjacent panelfrom one side of the box; extending an outer spine from the adjacentpanel; extending an outer panel from the outer end spine; placing discsin disc-mounting trays and connecting the trays on the panels; foldingthe outer panel and the attached tray and disc over the adjacent paneland the attached tray and disc; and folding the outer panel and theadjacent panel into the box.
 36. The method of claim 35, furthercomprising forming a top of the box with a back of the adjacent panel.37. The method of claim 35, further comprising securing a tray and discinside the bottom of the box.
 38. The method of claim 35, furthercomprising securing an outside of a first spine inside a first side ofthe box.
 39. The method of claim 38, further comprising placing theouter spine inside a second side of the box opposite the first side. 40.The method of claim 38, further comprising forming a first side of thebox with the first spine.